Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1887-11-03

- FIRST BATTLE kECoRD.-On,
day in ths spring of 81, when tn,
clans of the Confederscy were gather
ing. there tramped into Montgomery
then the temporary capital, . company
OF gaunt, ~ildeyed. jeans clad men
As they marched along in irrsgula,
files. with ithanevery-man.for-him an himself air
somebody on the sidewalk called out
what command 10 thatf'
Independent Rifles, was the reply
shouted back from the ranks.
"Independsnt Rifles" 9 spsetato,
echoed with q grin.
"Raccoon Rnnshs." came from the
frsA aad easy ranks; 81 reck N that n
suit you I'M"
Every man in the company wore q
coonskin cap. and the "Raccoon
Roughs" they were from that time on.
The command had been recruited from
the miners and mountainesrs of the
northwest corner Of Georgia and the
northeast corner Of Alabama. They
were neighbors and fsllow-workmen,
whose associations Tapped over state
lines. Their captain was John B.
Gordan. at present the governor Of
Georgia, but he didn't hold the posi-.
tion long. The "Raccoon Rough"
were mobilized with come other com.
panies, and become the Sixth Alabama,
to the command of which Captain
Gordon was elected.
At Seven Pines the Sixth Alabama
received its baptism of fire. Before
that there had been some skirmishing,
but this was the first battle, and, as
Governor Gordon describes the scenes,
they made up for the regiments first
battle record which probably is with.
out parallel on either side. A shade
comes over the Governors expressive
face. and his voice drops to lower
tones when he talks of that day.
Il started on the charge" he save,
with 600 men in my regiment. When
the fighting ended at nightfal, 396 of
the 600 lay on the field dead or
wounded. Ny Lieutenant Colonel
was killed. Offorty four commission.
ed officers. only thirteen came out of
that days fighting unscathed."
II had a brother with me, a boy"
Gov. Gordon continued. He was
covered. only to die with Stonewall
Jackson at Charlottesville. He was
nineteen years old. I had several
bullet holes in my clothes when night
came, but was not wounded. One
ball raked across my chest, and would
have shattered my right arm if I
hadn't it uplifted to point with my
sword q movement I wanted my com.
msnd to make.
"The Sixth Alabama." the Governor
went on, "was opposite q portion Of
the Federal line which that side had
no idea would be taken. We made
the assault in the forenoon. There
was charge across an open field, per-
haps a distance of 500 yards. Then
We came to breastworks, behind which
the Federals were as thick a. they
could stand. As we went over their
lines we found the evidences that they
had no idea Of being driven back.
Cooking was going on, and in q house
meal had been prepared for an
officers mess. We followed them back
of the works and into a swamp where
q great many trees had been felled.
1t was impossible to 60 ahead. and
there we stopped. stood i'm the water
up to our knees and fought till dark.
I had to detail men in there to hold
the heads Of the wounded above water
to keep them from drowning. And
some Of the time I could not find
enough we'll men to take care Of the
wounded"
Governor. do you recollect Of any
other command which lost so heavily
in a single charge at any time during
the war; was asked.
mo" replied the Governor, after q
little pause; Il don't recollect any.
thing which was quite equal to it.
Our loss was within three or four men
of being two-thirds of the whole rsgi.